Rifle and Pistol Association to file gun lawsuit today

The state Rifle and Pistol Association will file a lawsuit today against the gun-control law passed Jan. 15 by the state Legislature and signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

The group’s president, Thomas King, said the lawsuit is expected to be filed later today. The lawsuit would be the second against the NY-SAFE Act, which is considered the toughest gun-control law in the nation. The group filed a notice of claim Jan. 29 in state Supreme Court in Albany that it intended to sue, calling the law unconstitutional.

The notice claimed that the law “was passed and is being continuously enforced with the ongoing tortious intent to harass, harm, impede, interfere with, disrupt, interrupt, and/or destroy the present and future business and commercial activities” of gun owners and businesses.

Another gun-rights group filed a lawsuit against the measure in February, and a state judge tossed the suit earlier this month, saying that previous high court decisions prevented the judiciary from intervening in the legislative process. The group is appealing, and arguments are set to be heard Friday.

Cuomo and legislative leaders indicated this week that they plan to make some corrections to the law, which was hastily passed just hours after the bill was printed. One of the expected changes is to allow manufacturers to sell magazines with 10 bullets, but only to allow gun owners to put in seven bullets unless it’s for a sanctioned competition.

The law lowered the limit from 10 bullets to seven bullets, but seven-bullet magazines are not sold—so lawmakers said the change is needed. They are also expected to exempt police and film productions from an assault-weapons ban.